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They weren’t exactly sure how it started, Lena’s curiosity was insatiable and Amelie just couldn’t say no.
“We are here.” Amelie said, pointing down at a small peninsula on the map.
The mermaid’s bright blue eyes narrowed, and she leaned over the tub to get a closer look. A large beige and weathered map lay across the Captain’s desk and Amelie was kind enough to pull the tub of sea water against it, allowing Lena to pushing herself up and see it for herself.
“And these mean… mountain? The really tall rocks on land?” she asked slowly, making sure she was understanding correctly, pointing to the large mass with several pointed symbols inside of it.
Amelie had to bite down on her own lip from smiling as the fins along Lena’s face where a human’s ears would be gently flicked outwards in concentration, “Mountains, yes.”
Lena hummed to herself in thought, her eyes scanning the symbols and words for a moment trying to process it at all but still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it.
“If this is from a birds view...how do humans draw this? You can’t fly” she paused for a moment, then quickly snapped her head up to look at Amelie with a look of horror,“Wait, can you fly?”
This time she couldn’t help it, Amelie lips cracked into a smile as she shook her head,“We stand on the very tall rocks and look down”
“Oh!” her fins along her head flapped twice, almost in excitement and Amelie’s heart melted a bit more,”That makes much more sense!”
The first mate of the finest mermaid hunting ship in the Pacific let out a long sigh before leaning down and placing a kiss atop the yellow mermaid’s head.
“Amelie stop teaching her things.” the gruff voice of the Captain of said vessel grumbled as he entered,”You’re going to start a new gene pool of smart fish that run away”
Lena’s long tail that lay over the lip of the tub lifted and waved at him nonchalantly as he briskly walked by towards the desk,“If someone is dumb enough to get caught by any of you that’s their problem.”
Amelie seemed to have picked up what he was eyeing as soon as he arrived and quickly beat him to it, pulling his black coat that hung on the back of his chair and holding it out for him to slip his arms into.
“We caught you.” Amelie pointed out as Gabriel turned around and allowed her to adjust the collar of his captain’s coat.
Lena opened her mouth to reply but then pouted instead,”You know putting shiny things under your ship is cheating.”
Gabriel winked playfully at the mermaid,“Pack it up ladies, O’Deorain is coming aboard.”
Lena tilted her head in confusion but didn’t miss the way Amelie stiffened up.
“Think maybe it’s best she doesn’t see your pet goldfish yeah?” he asked over his shoulder, more interested in fixing his appearance in front of a mirror for one last time before welcoming his guest.
“Agreed, I’ll be out soon.” she said, removing her vest and rolling up her sleeves.
Satisfied with his look, he nodded and turned on his heel but not before bowing slightly at Lena.
“Adios pescado.” he grinned and off he went, gently closing the door behind him.
“I don’t know what he’s saying but I know it’s something rude...I just know it” Lena huffed, glaring slightly at the door.
“That makes two of us, now come along. Time to go for now.”
Amelie stood before the tub with her arms out but was met with big sad blue eyes and fin like ears drooping slightly, unfortunately the most difficult part of their little routine.
“Do I have to?” she whined, her lip quivering over dramatically,”Who is coming?”
“The person I would have sold you to. She likes to take things apart and poke their insides.”
At this Lena gulped.
Amelie smiled, tugging at her pants before kneeling to be eye level with the pouting mermaid,“Now, I rather enjoy your company and would love to see you again tonight. However if she sees you I can’t exactly guarantee that will happen. Understand?”
Lena crossed her arms, not happy with her usual visit cut so short but ultimately took to not being dissected. Leaning over the tub to place her forehead against Amelie’s, she gently pushed against her ensuring she was paying attention, “Ok...but I’ll be back at sundown!”
Amelie just couldn’t say no, she smiled and nodded, purposely brushing her nose against hers,“And I will be waiting.”
Unable to stay upset much longer, Lena’s face burst into a bright smile and closed the gap, immediately wrapping her arms around her neck and pulling Amelie deeper.
Which, Amelie wasn’t complaining, she slipped her arms around Lena’s small waist and kissed her back however after a few long seconds the pirate opened her eyes and sighed against her lips.
“MmmLena...” she mumbled a warning against her lips, but the mermaid only giggled, moving over to pepper Amelie’s cheek with small kisses.
“Aww...just a little bit longer?” she teased, brushing her sharp teeth against her bare neck.
Lena, despite her length, was incredibly light thus as Amelie stood up with Lena’s arms holding on tight around her neck lifted most of her body out of the tub in one motion.
“Stop stalling cherie,” she huffed, slipping her arms past her waist to below to where a human’s rear would be and pulled the girl up and over her shoulder.
Lena’s bright yellow tailed whipped out in surprise, splashing water around the Captain’s Quarters and desk. She squeaked happily, clutching to Amelie’s already drenched shirt as she was being walked out towards the double windows open wide and facing the beautiful ocean.
“Are you sure you’re not an octopus? So clingy.” she laughed, pinching a particular section on the back of her tail earning a small squeak and a giggle.
However the fun and games were done as Amelie reached the open window and began to adjust her grip.
“H-hey wait wait wait!” Lena panicked, wiggling in her grip to push herself up from her shoulder to face Amelie before the inevitable farewell.
“Yes?”
“I’ll miss you!”
Amelie rolled her eyes but allowed her to lean in and leave with one more kiss.
“And I’ll miss you as well. Now off you go.” With that, Amelie unceremoniously tossed the mermaid out the window. Lena let out a short yelp but much like a cat always landing on their feet, she righted herself just in time to dive into the sea more gracefully than she was thrown.
Amelie sighed and looked down at herself, appearing as thought she was the one taking a dip in the ocean.
Luckily Gabriel was good at stalling.
He didn’t have to see her to know she was close, the woman carried a presence that parted the crowded docks. As if her height wasn’t enough, she seemed to have convinced those around her that they were quite literally and figuratively beneath her. But there was no doubt her recent discoveries were what kept the Talon in business, finding multiple uses for merpeople parts she became their number one seller and benefactor.
“Doctor O’Deorain! Good to see you, welcome aboard the Talon ma’am.” Gabriel welcomed her with his winning smile as she stepped onboard, her chin held high and arms clasped behind her back.
If either of them noticed how the deck mysteriously cleared of crew neither chose to acknowledge it.
“Good to see you as well Captain. You should come by more often with your shipments. I do miss your company.” she replied with a cold smile as her eyes glanced around, quietly judging her surroundings.
Gabriel shrugged,“Your lab gives me chills, and I gut human fish for a living.” he laughed, silently motioning her to follow him.
She nodded and followed alongside him as they chatted.
“Speaking of which I have a curiosity in need to be sated.”
Gabriel immediately stopped in his tracks,“Was there something wrong with your latest shipment?”
“Oh no not at all. It was the freshest specimen I’ve had however I heard something most curious from your men as they came in with it”
Suddenly the missing men made sense.
“Is that right?”
“Something about a yellow mermaid? Living on-board?”
He scoffed, possibly too loud,“Ma’am, I’m not sure where you heard that-”
“Ah, Captain…” she shook her head with a pitiful smile,”You’re a terrible liar.”
“Apologies, I usually do the lying for him”
Amelie, now in a fresh new set of clothes, stepped out of the Captain’s Quarters with a less than amused look on her face.
“Amelie.”
“Moira.”
Gabriel quietly tugged on his collar as the deck of his ship suddenly became very tense.
“I heard a few curious things about said mermaid and you,” she said with curiosity and intrigue but her tone dripped with poison. A polite smile with dark intentions.
Amelie couldn’t help but smile back with gritted teeth,“Oh I’m sure you have.”
“Care to explain why you are holding out on me? I thought I informed you rather clearly my price for a live exotic merperson”
She spoke in such a way Amelie almost believed she was hurt by this betrayal but she shook her head and kept her fake smile as she approached the doctor.
“Do not misunderstand me. We are well aware and would love to continue doing business with you.”
Gabriel held a breath, his eyes desperately shifting from one woman to the other, hoping to give some kind of signal to not ruin years of work in a single blow. But Amelie stood before the woman, nearly eye level and held her ground.
“However that one is
mine
.” she hissed,”If you lay a single finger on her I will gut you and feed you to her. Are we clear?”
The deck fell silent, the air around them heavy with intensity for a moment.
Moira shrugged.
“Very well then. Keep your prize, I suppose since you’ve caught it. It’s only fair.”
Despite her words, Amelie’s eyes narrowed dangerously as the woman turned on her heel and walked away.
“I look forward to seeing what you bring me next.”
“Now mates, I understand your confusion. You’re absolutely right - it is ridiculous, however we are a family here. And family don’t just tell strange doctors the family secrets!”
The sun began its slow descent beyond the horizon, it would be their last night at the docks before heading off in the morning. But before sending the crew off to celebrate and enjoy, a meeting was called.
More specifically, the man responsible for grumbling and complaining under his breath in the presence of Moira O’Deorain was shoved out of the crowd of nervous men and into Gabriel’s sharp gaze.
“Captain mercy, please! I didn’t mean to!”
Gabriel laughed, pulling the man into a hug and slapping him on the shoulder, “No no, don’t get it wrong.I’ve forgiven you!”
The man blinked back in surprise, utterly speechless.
Gabriel threw his arm over the terrified man’s shoulder and turned him around to face the First mate,“Even Amelie has forgiven you! Isn’t that right?”
Amelie remained silent, her eyes boring into the man’s skull. If looks could kill, he would be dead on the spot.
“See? All is well.” Gabriel nodded, tugging the man along the two walked closer towards the railing.
“Now the only one left for you to apologize to is the nice young lass down there to whom you snitched about.”
Gabriel’s grip tightened around his shoulder as he shoved him forward, his stomach colliding into the wood forcing him to bend over the side of the ship and see a bright yellow tail anxiously circling just beneath the waves.
Lena had returned at sundown as promised.
She breached the surface and let out a horrific snarl up at the man, exposing her shark like teeth and piercing blue eyes trained on him.
“Now go on and say you’re sorry like a gentleman.”
With a swift kick the man was sent overboard, his screams were quickly silenced as Lena, ever the impatient one, jumped out and tore into his neck before he even struck the water.
The ship fell quiet.
“So, if anyone else would like to go around telling family secrets, you can go right ahead and ask miss Lena yourself for permission. We clear? Good, now get going.”
The rest of the crew made quick work of escaping into the city for one last night, deliberately ignoring the dark red ink slowly disappearing beneath the waves.
“I’m sorry Gabe. I could’ve have really ruined us back there.” Amelie sighed, gently massaging the bridge of her nose. She didn’t mean to become so possessive, but it had happened, and might one day come back to bite them.
But Gabriel just shrugged,“I can never read that woman half the time, but we’ll just keep doing what we do best yeah?”
One day at a time, like usual. She nodded and offered him a small smile before the sound of loud splashing was heard.
“Hey Captain! What are you feeding these men? There was barely anything worth biting into!”
Gabriel and Amelie leaned over the railing to find a full but rather annoyed looking mermaid. She spat out a chunk of bone and picked her teeth with her nail, trying to get a bit of torn shirt out from between her fangs.
Despite the display, Amelie smiled, “Please wash your mouth before you get clingy tonight.”
“Fiiiiiine….” Lena grumbled under her breath before slowly lowering herself back into the water.
Gabriel sighed, patting his first mate on the back, “I still think it’s weird, but if we can keep feeding idiots to her then this works for me.” He turned around, hand raised in a wave.
“Goodnight Ame,” he called out over his shoulder.
“Goodnight Captain.”
A splash of water followed by sharp nails digging into wood of the ship’s hull, Amelie patiently waited until Lena climbed up until reaching the railing.
“And hello to you.”
Perhaps another book was in order tonight.